Apparatus for printing in colors.



PATENTED JAN. 20, 1903.

No. 718,877. A

T. REGENSTEINBR. APPARATUS FOR PRINTING IN COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1902. NO'MODEL. 2 sums-sum 1.

a W w r H H Q3 l E] k H Q 1 2 o Q) N s v H Q WITNESSES: N INVENTOR ATTORNEYS,

THE NORRIS PUERS $0., PNOTO-LITNQ. wasumnmu. o. c.

No. 718,877. PATENTBD JAN. 20, 1903.

T. REGENSTEINER. APPARATUS FOR PRINTING IN COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1902. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR J. MML/W"\ BY W Mq-MM ATTORNEYS Tu: nomus vzrzns 00.. PNOYOJJTNEL. WASHINGTON, n c

lUhlliTED dramas ATET OFFICE.

THEODORE REGENSTEINER, OE NE YV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR PRlNTlNG IN COLORS.

EEEGIFIUATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,877, dated January 20, 1903,

A plication filed March 29, 1902. Serial No. 100,530. (No model.)

To [tZZ w/wm, it may concern:

Be it known that l, THEODORE REGEN- STEINER, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Printing in Colors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for printing in colors, and has ref erence more particularly to that class of apparatus for printing colors one on top of the other on the same sheet.

Heretofore it has been attempted to print in colors by using what is generally known as a multicolor-press --that is, a press on which two or more colors are printed. Such presses, however, have in actual practice failed to give entire satisfaction. In using these presses the colors are immediately put one on top of the other, and when this is done the colors may smear or run to a certain extent. Another objection to these presses is that in setting up the forms on the press only one man or set of men can work at the same timethat is, only the form of one color can be prepared at a time. Therefore when two colors are to be printed on the press it takes twice as long to prepare the press for operation.

It has been attempted to dispense with such color-presses as just referred to and to print one color on a sheet on a press adapted to print a single color and then let that sheet dry, generally twenty-four hours, and then let it run through another press to print another color. This caused a great delay in turning out the work. Not only this, but owing to the difference in the atmosphere at different times the sheet would stretch or contract and there would be failure in obtaining perfect registration.

It is the object of my invention to overcome the objections heretofore existing in colorprinting and to produce an apparatus that will give perfect registration and permit one color to be superimposed upon the other without smearing or running, also to produce an apparatus that will permit the different forms to be set up and prepared at the same time.

Other objects will appear from what is disclosed in the following specification.

I accomplish the objects desired to be obtained by the apparatus that is now to be described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specifics tion.

Referring now to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the different views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of certain details.

The part lettered A on the drawings repre sents the frame of a bed-and-cylinder printing-press.

B is the feed-board, on which the sheets to be printed are placed.

0 is the impression-cylinder, which takes the sheet and transfers it to the form-bed D, where it is printed. Motion is imparted to this cylinder and the form-bed preferably by a motor E. Power is transmitted from this motor through a belt F, which passes around the pulley G. This pulley is connected to the shaft H, which carries gears connected to the impression-cylinder O and form-bed D.

A is the frame of another press, having the feed-board B, impression-cylinder C, the electric motor E for driving the cylinder and the form-bed (not shown) through the belt E, the pulley G, the shaft H, and gears.

K represents tapes which receive the sheet after it has been printed on the press A and transfer it by another set of tapes L to the third set of tapes M, which feeds the sheet to the cylinder C, which transfers it to the bed of this press A, where it receives a second color and is delivered from this press by means of the tapes N.

O is a shaft connected to the second press A. The end of this shaft has connected thereto a beveled gear 0, which meshes with another beveled gear P on the shaft P. The other end of this shaft carries a beveled gear P which meshes with the beveled gear Q on the shaft Q. This shaft Q, also carries the gear Q which meshes with the gears R, and S on the rollers R and S. Motion is imparted to the shaft 0 by the dynamo E, to which the shaft is connected by means not shown, and this motion is transmitted through the shafts and gears just described in order to divide the tapes L and M, by which the sheet is fed from the first press after an impression has been taken therefrom to the second press, where the second color is put upon the sheet. The forms on the bed must be arranged and operated so that the sheets will register perfectly in order to produce the satisfactory work. It is necessary that these two presses should be connected, so that they will run at the same speed. In order to do this, I have provided the shafts H H with sprocket-gears T T and connected together by an endless sprocketchain U, which passes over guides W.

This apparatus operates as follows: When the forms on each press have been set up and the press is ready for operation, it having been first determined what color is to be applied to the sheets, the sheets are placed upon the feed-board B and the presses are now started by turning on the current on either ,one or both of the dynamos E E, as desired,

when the presses will be moved and will be run at the same speed, owing to the manner in which they are positively connected. A sheet is now fed from the pile on top of the feed-board B to the impression-cylinder 0, there being suitable means on the cylinder for gripping and holding the sheet. The sheet is then fed to the reciprocating formbed D, which passes under the cylinder and gives the sheet the proper impression. It is then transferred to the tapes K and is fed over and by the tapes L and M to the other impressioncylinder 0, where it is gripped anp fed to the other reciprocating form bed, which moves under this cylinder 0 to give the second impression. The sheet is then delivered from this press by means of the tapes N. As the sheet travels from one impression-bed D to the other impression-bed on the second press around the cylinder 0 O and over the tapes K, L, and M the color that has been placed on the sheet in the first press is dried to a certain extent, sufficiently, at-any rate, as shown by actual practice, to prevent the colors from running or smearing when thesheet is going through the second press. As the sheet is directly transferred from one press to the other and the two colors are put on while the conditions of the atmosphere are the same, there is no change in the condition of the sheet while the different impressions are being put on, and there is therefore no liability of non-registration owing to the contraction and expansion in the sheet, and as the presses are geared up to run at the same speed there is also no liability of non-registration of the sheets, as there would be in printing on the separate presses not so connected.

In arranging the apparatus as here shown and described the forms of the different presses can be set up independently of each other, so that a man or sets of men can work on each press and have both forms ready for operation in the same time that it would take to set up only one form in an ordinary colorprinting press Where both colors are to be printed from one press and on which only one set of men can work.

I connect the means by which a sheet is fed from one press to the other, so that it may be disconnected from the presses, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, so that I may use either press independently of the other when they are not needed for printing the two colors on the sheet one after the other, of course it being understood that the sprocket chain and gears are thrown off, so that they will not be operated, and also the shaft 0 is disconnected from the dynamo E, so that it will not move the tapes L and M when the two presses are not running together.

My invention in its broadest sense consists in the process of printing with three colors, and in carrying out the process I print one color on a sheet and permit that to dry, generally twenty-four hours. I then superimpose the other two colors upon the first, placing the third color on shortly after the second color has been placed on the first. When the second and third colors are placed on the sheets one after the other, the paper does not have time to change its condition, and therefore I avoid imperfect registration due to the expansion and contraction in the paper, as may be the case when the third color is put on after the second color is permitted to thoroughly dry. The apparatus that I have shown and described in this case is to be used to put on the second and third colors. The first color may be put on by any form of apparatus suitable for the purpose.

While I have shown only two presses connected together, a greater number may be used when it is desired to put on a greater number of colors. It is to be noted that in operation the sheets are fed automatically to the second cylinder 0, and while I have not shown it an automatic feed may be used to automatically feed the sheets to the first cylinder O.

Other apparatuses than what I have here shown and described may readily be suggested to others skilled in the art, and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described.

The process disclosed in this application I do not claim here, as that forms the subjectmatter of a separate application, Serial No. 105,680. filed May 2, 1902.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 1. In an apparatus of the class described, means for printing a color on one sheet, means independent from the first means adapted to superimpose another color on the same sheet, and means for transferring the sheet from the first printing means to the second, said transferring means being adapted and arranged so that it may be connected or disconnected from the two printing means at will.

ICC

2. In an apparatus of the class described, means for printing a color on one sheet, a separate and entirely independent means for printing and superimposing another color on the same sheet, means for connecting the two means together so that they will operate at the same speed and means for transferring the sheet from one of the printing means to the other, said transferring means and said connecting means being adapted and arranged so that the said printing means may be connected or disconnected as desired.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a press adapted to print one color on a sheet. a second press adapted to print and superimpose another color on the same sheet, a series of tapes leading from one press to the other and adapted to transfer the sheet from the first press to the second, and means connecting the two presses so that they may be driven at the same speed, said tapes and connecting means being adapted and arranged so that the said presses may be connected or disconnected at will.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a press adapted to print one color on a sheet, a second press adapted to print and superimpose another color on the same sheet, a series of tapes leading, from one press to the other and adapted to transfer the sheet from the first press to the second, and means con-' necting the two presses so that they may be driven at the same speed, said tapes and connecting means being adapted and arranged so that the two presses may be connected or disconnected to run either together or separately as desired.

5. In an apparatus of the class described,

i a printing-press adapted to print a color on a sheet, another press entirely independent and separate from the first adapted to print and snperimpose another color on the same sheet, a series of tapes leading from one press to the other and adapted to transfer the sheet from one press to the other, an independent motor driving each press, a sprocket-chain connecting the two presses so that they may be operated simultaneously and at the same speed, said tapes and said chain being adapted and arranged so that the said presses may be connected or disconnected at will.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a press adapted to impose color upon a sheet, a separate and independent press adapted to superirnpose another color on the same sheet, a series of tapes leading from one press to the other and adapted to receive and transfer a sheet from one press to the other, driving means between the series of tapes and one of the presses adapted to move the tapes from power derived from one of the presses an independent motor for each press, sprocket gears and chains connecting the two presses so that they may be operated simultaneously and at the same speed, the said driving means for said tapes and the sprocket-chain being connected and arranged so that the two presses may be operated simultaneously and together or one independently of the other as desired.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE REGENSTEINER. Witnesses:

H. M. SEAMANS, E. VAN Nnss. 

